Amaranth sprouts at Green Bexar Farm, in Saint Hedwig, Texas, near San Antonio, on Oct 17, 2020.
Cody and Natalie Scott started with a 10-acre pecan grove in 2017 and has since converted one acre for a wide variety of produce on micro irrigated beds outdoors and in three seasonal high tunnels installed with the technical and financial conservation assistance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Cody estimates it would have taken him ten years to purchase structures. He reports that the high tunnels improve winter growth, protect from frost and rain damage, and have a cleaner product reduces post-harvest work. Their current market is their CSA, local farmer's markets, and restaurants.
The larger tunnel of the three is used to grow fall through spring tomatoes and is equipped with heat in the winter months. This technique has allowed him to take produce to market that otherwise, he would not be able to, and eliminate most of his competition. He can also utilize the structure to lower and lean his tomatoes at a super-dense planting and has more than 1,300 plants in one high tunnel.
USDA Media by Lance Cheung.
For the story, please see: nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/tx/newsroom/stories/?cid=NRCSEPRD1531258
Album: flic.kr/s/aHsmRLavwz. Original public domain image from Flickr
